are you all swaddling your baby?

[yentroc]

I swaddled dd religiously, but she always fought it and broke out of her swaddle... she turned out to be a thumb sucker and started at 7 months old when we stopped swaddling her and she was finally able to self soothe herself.

I've tried swaddling new ds a few times and he also fights it. I get tired of checking to see if the blanket is over his face and then he starts rooting on the blanket... etc. Honestly I find swaddling annoying after doing it so long with dd. However ds startles a lot and I know he would sleep better in the swaddle. I just feel like no matter how tight I start it, he breaks out of it and the blanket gets all loose over his face, etc.

I've tried the Miracle Blanket, Swaddle Me (big square one), and the sleep sack with velcro swaddle arms... all annoying.

Do your babes sleep without being swaddled?

[onyxravnos]

nope not at all. ds one liked to have his hands by his face ds two is the same. ds two has never been swaddled and i doubt he will be as he likes it just dine that way.

if your dc don't like to be swaddled then therre is no reason to continue it.

[cloudbutterfly]

We learned that DS doesn't sleep well in his cosleeper without being swaddled our first night home from the hospital. I wasn't too confident in how safe my swaddling techniche was, so I sent my mom out to get a couple of those swaddle sleep sacks the next morning. They work great for us except that it wakes him up to be put into it, so I've started putting him in it and velcroing the swaddle part around his middle while nursing him before bed and during the night.

[milimama]

I've swaddled all five of mine. I use the waffle receiving blankets.
My babies sleep longer and better when swaddled.
I don't swaddle at night because they're content to nurse and cuddle.

I used to own a child development center based on ap and we swaddled all babies under 3 months. It's routine for me I guess.

[evinmom]

As long as he's on someone or in a sling, yes he sleeps. I don't swaddle because other than DS1 the first few weeks, my babies hate it.

[justmandy]

I haven't beem because ds likes his hands. I did last night for the first time and he slept. HE SLEPT

He woke ot eat and went back to sleep. It was glorious. I hope it still works tonight!

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by milimama

I've swaddled all five of mine. I use the waffle receiving blankets.
My babies sleep longer and better when swaddled.
I don't swaddle at night because they're content to nurse and cuddle.

I used to own a child development center based on ap and we swaddled all babies under 3 months. It's routine for me I guess.

the waffle blankies are great, and we have one of the kiddopolis things. I'll swaddle now and then... but not all the time...

[cloudbutterfly]

Originally Posted by justmandy

I haven't beem because ds likes his hands. I did last night for the first time and he slept. HE SLEPT

He woke ot eat and went back to sleep. It was glorious. I hope it still works tonight!

I keep thinking I should swaddle less because DS has been obsessed with his hands since birth, but I've finally determined that we both sleep a lot more with the swaddling. Unfortunately it took a couple of weeks of bad sleep to learn that and a few other sleep lessons, but this past week has been wonderful.

[Carson]

DS sleeps better when swaddled, but likes his hands accessible so we swaddle him everywhere else.

He doesn't fit in the kiddapotamous yet, but hopefully soon! We don't have any receiving blankets so we use those thin little bath towels.

[yentroc]

Originally Posted by milimama

I've swaddled all five of mine. I use the waffle receiving blankets.
My babies sleep longer and better when swaddled.
I don't swaddle at night because they're content to nurse and cuddle.

I used to own a child development center based on ap and we swaddled all babies under 3 months. It's routine for me I guess.

I actually tried our little waffle receiving blanket last night, it worked! We slept sooo much better.

Soooo... how long can you use those itty bitty blankies? My waffle receiving blanket is so little. Do they make them any bigger?

[milimama]

Originally Posted by yentroc

I actually tried our little waffle receiving blanket last night, it worked! We slept sooo much better.

Soooo... how long can you use those itty bitty blankies? My waffle receiving blanket is so little. Do they make them any bigger?

I usually use mine to about 4 months.
They have some at Babies R Us.com. I've bought them at Kmart too. I guess they're called thermal at some stores?
I don't know if they make them bigger. Mine are about 30" x 40" as are the Babiesrus blankets.

[doclegs]

Our little one sleeps better when she's swaddled.... a friend of ours who is a midwife swears by the Miracle Blanket and sent us one for our baby shower. It's got an extra-long side and little pockets for their hands. We have yet to try it, but I think maybe tonight I will and will let all of you know.

[Tattooed Hand]

it doesn't seem to make a lick of difference in terms of her sleeping longer and I find it annoying for night time nursing b/c I like the side lying position and being able to cuddle her with as little cloth between us as possible. and if sshe's conscious, she tries to struggle out of it. So I might consider it for naps, but I've decided to not do it at night.

[evinmom]

Originally Posted by Tattooed Hand

it doesn't seem to make a lick of difference in terms of her sleeping longer and I find it annoying for night time nursing b/c I like the side lying position and being able to cuddle her with as little cloth between us as possible. and if sshe's conscious, she tries to struggle out of it. So I might consider it for naps, but I've decided to not do it at night.

Same here. Plus I EC so it's just another layer of cloth to have to remove before I can either change a diaper or potty the baby.

[Pinoikoi]

I haven't read all the responses, but we swaddled all our babies. They seemed to sleep better without all those "pesky" arms and legs getting flung around..

I also had one that would scratch me when he nursed.. swaddling helped in that regard as well..

oops- sorry ddc crashing.

[mediumcrunch]

Depends on the baby. Most of mine have been happier without the swaddle. #7, was my most intense baby, now my most intense 3 year old , and we were ALL much happier when she was tightly swaddled. I used the Miracle Blanket with her.

[AimeeandBrian]

My DD HATED being swaddled. She liked sleeping all sprawled out. But we are swaddling Archie and he sleeps much better confined. I really like the Miracle Blanket this time around.

[lalemma]

We swaddle Henry at night - he's a pretty flaily guy and would otherwise wake himself up with the windmilling. Also, I'm pretty sure being swaddled at night but never during the day has helped him work out a day/night rhythm.

[Brisen]

I don't really swaddle -- I just found out last week that you're supposed to put their arms down by their sides to swaddle them. I do tend to wrap them up in a blanket, but that's to keep them warm. The baby doesn't sleep on his own much, unless, it seems, we put him down on the couch with all of the kids making noise around him. Which, of course, isn't safe. Sigh.

We were given one of those kidapotamus blankets, though, and I like it. It doesn't ride up and come off of his feet like a receiving blanket, and it just generally stays on better. I think it also helps him stay asleep a bit longer in the evening when we put him in his cradle during the space between the kids' bedtime and ours.